Tell Me
by LBx
Summary: Julian asks his son some questions about the Bugger War and Ender Wiggin.


I've only read Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow to date, so this is set shortly after the end of that storyline. I wasn't quite sure where to go with this, but I think it turned out all right. And can I just say that Bean fascinates me, as does his relationship with Ender? So this fic is, appropriately enough, Bean-centric. I also do not own any of the characters and such, but you knew all that.  
  
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+Tell Me+  
  
They had wanted a second child. They had wanted to raise and spoil the child, delighting it with gifts and candy, but being firm with their discipline. They had wanted to watch that child grow and mature, watch the child learn to crawl, walk and eventually, talk. The child they got was their own, no doubt about that. The boy was theirs, but he didn't want to be spoiled, and they couldn't watch him grow, as he already was much more mature than either of them had expected in a child so young. The boy -who insisted they call him Bean- was wise beyond his years and saw the big picture. He was only eight years old, but had already served in battle, helping to defeat the Buggers along side Ender Wiggin.  
  
They didn't understand their son's fascination with Ender Wiggin. They didn't understand how Ender thought, what pressures he had been subjected to, and what role their own son had had in Ender's life. All they knew was that Bean talked constantly of Ender, the boy who would forever be their son's commander. Their first born, Nikolai, had known Ender. Nikolai had seen Ender in combat -had seen Bean in combat along side Ender- and had the slightest idea of where Bean's deep rooted fascination came from.  
  
Bean was sitting on the wall of the patio, watching the Mediterranean Sea lap at the shoreline when his father approached him. The child didn't acknowledge his father, though Julian knew his son had heard him. Bean's head was tipped towards the heavens, eyes void of expression though it was clear the youth was deep in thought.  
  
"Bean," Julian said, trying to urge his son out of his inner world. The child titled his head ever so slightly, the intelligent gleam returning to the twin pools as the boy focused on his parental figure.  
  
"Father." The word was strange -foreign. It reminded Bean of Achilles, a train of thought the child did not wish to follow.  
  
Julian settled on the wall beside his youngest son. "Tell me about the war, about Battle School."  
  
"About Ender Wiggin, you mean."  
  
"Yes, about Ender Wiggin." Julian agreed, watching his child closely. The faintest hints of a smile graced Bean's lips, but it wasn't the makings of a kind smile, more a twisted smirk.  
  
"Ender Wiggin is Ender Wiggin. He's the hero, the one who saved mankind." Bean looked heavenward again, seemingly searching for something in the vast ocean of stars. "He was brilliant, but the adults didn't know how to preserve his brilliance. Because of them . . ." Bean trailed off, face falling impassive again. "Ender isn't coming back."  
  
"You were good friends with this Ender Wiggin?"  
  
Bean laughed at that. "Ender had friends, but not close friends. He held the other's admiration and respect. They would have died for him; I would have died for him." Yes, Bean knew that was true. He would have died for Ender Wiggin, had the situation been right and his life worth nothing. But the teachers had been counting on him to take over when Ender broke down, which placed value on Bean's life. Ender had confided in Bean once, when the game was running amuck and he didn't want to play anymore. Bean had slept at Ender's feet that night, curled on the same bed, listening to his commander's rugged breathing as he tried to find comfort in sleep. That didn't make them friends though, just comrades in arms. Bean doubted whether Ender remembered him or not.  
  
"So you weren't friends." Julian said, clarifying his son's answer.  
  
"No, I guess we weren't."  
  
"Do you admire Ender Wiggin?"  
  
That was easy. "No."  
  
Julian was surprised by the answer. "You talk about him all the time."  
  
Bean shrugged. Just because he talked of Ender didn't mean he admired him. He didn't worship Ender the way some of the children had. Bean had only been curious at first, since he was so often compared to the Wiggin boy. That curiosity had grown to respect; because Ender did know how to handle an army, better than Bean could have. After all, who would want to listen to a little pipsqueak?  
  
Silence settled over the father and son, the waves continuing in their rhythmic lapping as Bean sought out the area of the sky he was looking for. And sure enough he found the general area, the section where the Bugger home world was -where Ender was. Bean smiled then, knowing that whatever had happened to Ender, the other boy was working hard and doing a lot better than he would have back on Earth. Besides, Bean had heard Ender's sister was with him.  
  
"I'm afraid I don't understand, Bean. But with you, that's quite common." Julian got to his feet, resting a strong hand on his son's shoulder. "You made us proud, your mother and I, and we're glad you could come home." Bean's only acknowledgement was a nod, and Julian left it at that. While they may not be about to cuddle this son and raise him from birth, the child was perceptive and special. Bean, while not as famous as the elusive Ender Wiggin, held a place in their hearts.  
  
He was their hero.  
  
+End+ 


End file.
